Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
paradox is simply a result of how mundane the apes have become, and
how exotic DNA still is.”
5
A critical question emerging from both soli-
darity and diversity is, Do shared genes act differently in humans than
in other mammals? This, of course, is one of the key questions in the
sociobiology wars, for E. O. Wilson defined sociobiology as the “sys-
tematic study of the biological basis of social behavior,” and he suggests
a high degree of continuity between mammalian and human behavior.
6
But on the other hand, Wilson exhibits a degree of ambiguity in his argu-
ment. For example, he states that genes hold culture on a leash. Yet
Segerstråle notes that Wilson suggests the possibility of aggression being
a recently acquired trait in which a “learned behavior may be 'tracked'
genetically. Here, then, we may have the protostatement of his famous
pronunciation that 'the genes hold culture on a leash'—this time run in
the
opposite
direction, however, that is: culture holding the
genes
on a
leash, or the genes tracking culture.”
7
And then there is the famous sen-
tence in Richard Dawkins's
The Selfish Gene
: “We alone on earth can
rebel against the tyranny of the selfish replicators.”
8
Is animal behavior a model or a predictor of human behavior? How
do we understand the term altruism as applied to animals and humans?
Finally, we have the question implicitly raised by Dawkins: If we can
rebel against our genes, what is the basis for this?
Race and Human Origins
One of the causes of contention among humans has been the phenome-
non of racism. The perception of the superiority of a set of physical char-
acteristics, a specific trait, or even the assumption of the possession of a
superior genotype has been the source or cause of racism, war, public
policy, and much individual and social pain and sorrow. The perception
of advantage has been the cause of enormous grief. Contemporary
biology and genetics, however, have taught us something important:
“The careful study of hidden variations, unrelated to climate, has con-
firmed that homogeneous races do not exist. It is not only true that racial
purity does not exist in nature; it is entirely unachievable, and would not
be desirable.”
9
On the other hand, it is clear that groups differ from each other, for
example, with respect to skin color, eye shape, hair texture, height, and
so on. Luigi Luca Cavalli-Sforza argues that the primary explanation for
